Learner driver calls 999 to report late instructor

Police have released a recording of a "ridiculous" emergency call from a
learner driver demanding assistance after his driving instructor was late.

1:58PM BST 17 Jul 2013

Emergency call handlers at West Midlands Police (WMP) were shocked after a man rang 999 to "make a complaint" about his driving instructor.

The learner driver and his instructor had argued over the lesson's start time and the tutor had cancelled the lesson and asked him to get out of the car.

But the furious learner warned that he would get the police involved. In this recording of his conversation with a police operator he demands to complain about the incident.

The caller says: "I've got an emergency; the tutor who's supposed to be teaching me to drive came late and now she's asking me to get out of her car. She's saying I'm giving her attitude. Please come over.

She said: "We often receive 999 calls about lost property, people asking for directions and partygoers who've been denied entry to nightclubs. Other recent 'emergencies' include a blocked sink plug in a hotel room and a person who'd forgotten their computer password.

"It's astonishing listening to them but they hide a serious truth. Each call often takes minutes to deal with as staff have to clarify the situation.

"It might not sound like much but, if someone is trying to get through to report a genuine life or death emergency, then a minute is a very long time to wait.

"I cannot stress enough the 999 number is for emergencies only. This is defined as a crime in progress, if someone suspected of a crime is nearby, when there is danger to life or when violence is being used or threatened.